genepires

Boots that beckey used would be thrown away by homeless people. One can only imagine what it was like to climb with the gear they had. Maybe one day I should try going "retro" with gear. Nahhh. I have used the la sport glacier boot for all of our volcanoes and it works great. It is essentially a beefed up hiking boot with 3/4 or 1/2 shank. Always used flexi crampons on it. I would guess the minimum difference between a hiking boot and a climbing boot is it's waterproofness. My glacier boots are very waterproof which is why I feel OK taking it on a glacier. Most backpacking boots have too many seams and fabric for leaking in water. And like mentioned earlier, wet feet in cold environs causes frostbite and worse.

cascade crags had one years ago. Don't know if they still do or not but you could give them a call

The FF employee might have been on to something with their advice. It is not such a good idea to advise beginners to go with non standard climbing gear. (such as ultra light equipment) Suggesting that a beginner go with lightweight (or in this case backpackign boots) is asking for her having a miserable time or worse, an accident. Experience will show what works and what doesn't and a beginner class has lots of other things to be thinking about. Look at any guide service basic mountaineering class and they have plastics on. Also I find it interesting that people have had negative experiences at FF. I have always had very helpful and friendly service there. I would like to have seen their discusion. I suspect that this woman didn't want to hear the advice and took offense to it. I doubt that any employee at FF would say "she would break her ankle and die and that they would never climb with her". Get real.

Sorry to hear about the accident and the pain Bob. It is a bit interesting though that you give more than partial blame of the accident on the fact that someone driving slower than you (maybe above the speed limit and passing others) and was in the left lane. While it was the person speeding that entirely hit you. Also many posts back, you mention that driving in the left lane should be illegal to allow a illegal act to occur in the left lane. That would be interesting to see argued in the state government. Now go ahead and rip me a new one.

Great idea! Does your strap system rub the achilies (sp?) tendon? Seems like if it does, one could pass the webbing through that loop on the back of shoe to keep if off the leg and rub the shoe instead. (for low cut shoes) What is a two ring tightener? Is it a two wraps before one ties a shoe sting knot?

any and every day at index. especially the 5.9's. especially in the spring when I am out of head-space. up and especially down slesse last year. the first time I got up pan dome falls was a big pump and hard for the day

there is very little snow on the road but enough coverage from the official trailhead for skiis. Getting to the pass requires some boot packing as it is steep. Big avis coming off cascade and j-berg but the way to the pass is fairly safe. Really cool looking out there right now. The arm is in good shape too with lots of snow. Some steep snow right before the summit. But it is melting fast. Who knows what it will look like this next weekend. gene

Vernon Tejas takes a lighter tent (same design though) to the high camp on denali and stayed in it during many storms. But he is crazy and stays up all night holding the pole up. I used it in a minor storm on a exposed position (on dirt) and the thing flaps around so much I doubt that it would stick around for long. I think the key is to using it in storms is to: -stay in the trees get get out of the wind -or dig down in the snow so that the bottom the mid is on the ground, anchor out ALL the tabs, lay piles of snow on the ground edge to prevent the breeze from coming underneath and making a snow wall around all sides. This method works really well for our cook tent on denali. (But we have larger and lighter version so I am unsure if the snowpile around the bottom edge will work for a megamid) Even with all this, I have done the pole dance to keep the thing from crashing over.

I have an old rei harness (heaven forbid I admitted to buying in rei) that they no longer make of course. But I think it is a great alpine harness and have used it for many good climbs. features (that I think are important) include: belay loop - this is so nice for technical climbing. 4 gear loops - You gotta put stuff somewhere no padding - just webbing, why have the extra stuff if you are never falling? packable - some harness while light, don't fold up in a small volume. Ideally, the harness could roll up into a small ball. the webbing won't roll over into a uncomfortable thing that curts into my side. Single wide webbing like the BD alpine bod, had a tendancy after much use, to roll over to a smaller section and cut into my waist. I think two passes of webbing sewn together won't do this. I am also looking for a new alpine harness and I think I might get the trango one. Rainy pass said they can add gear loops. (trango only has two gear loops)

you must be a really short hobbit or something to need a 10.5 pair of boots but a 70 mm axe! That axe is 2.75 inches tall! I got some leather mountainering boots and plastic boots your size. Drop me a line on which you prefer. I also have some 30m glacier ropes if you need. (freebie)

To pick nicks. But the ablation zone can have covered crevasses in them. Right now there are lots of covered crevasses on ablation zones. Maybe I am confused, but with the definition given above, (which is the definition given in most instruction books) the ablation zone and dry portion of the glacier are not the same thing. I suppose they are the same in october but not in june. It seems like some people confuse ablation/accumilation zone with wet/dry glaciers. Dry ablation zones (reduntant I suppose) are good for unroped walking around. I think that the post mentioned by dummy should replace "ablation zone" with "dry glacier".

get after it. just don't hang out too much below the seracs. we missed a big calving off of ice by 5 minutes. you will see what I am talking about.

I have used seam grip on a couple of small holes in my msr bag. Works great! No noticable brain malfunctions......yet.....yet......yet.......

Hey Clivus, my union suit has lasted a long time and not grind my crotch at all. But I suspect that I am a bit shorter than you. (5'10") Cloudviel seems to tailor their stuff to your specifications as none of their stuff fits me. (legs too long) I like my mec union suit and think it would be just fine in AK but you do gotta check your nads n such when zipping up, much like any crotch zip. Ovr40, I assume you will be on the west buttress. The vast majority of people on that route use a Msr or similar white gas stove. There are good reasons for this which I am too lazy to get into right now, (plus there will be a storm of butane believer remarks which might be better off ina seperate thread) Can your jet boil melt snow efficiently? (a function of how big your pot is) It always seemed like a camping on dirt, near a stream, kind of cooking system but i have never used it. On your feet, there is a huge difference denali and cascades and experience here is of limited value in some regards. Experience with extreme weather is one unless you summited rainier in january in a monster storm at minus 40F. It gets COLD especially with the affects of altitude reducing metabolism and such. So with that, how snug is your alpha? Your feet may swell with the amount of sloggin so a initially snug boot will become constricting and then viola, frostbite. (even with overboots on) I also assume your mtn hardware overboot is really good something similar to forty below overboots. (40 below is a company name) I don't mean to be all doom and gloom, I just don't want any of our homeboys to get messed up over there. Enjoy!

I would reccomend that you keep the belay jacket. You will need it on summit day. Lots of people climb up with the biggest parka on while moving. Marmot had a one piece thermal suit. Mec had a sleeveless one piece suit too. feathered friends had a 100 weight fleece suit which worked well for a guy I knew. mtn hardware maybe? All these are not lw thermal material but a bit thicker which is a good thing for AK. You might want to reconsider your hydration practice of drinking lots at meals. It is best to stay hydrated all day. This will help with performance and acclimitization. If you want some honest advice on how dehydration affects the body and how it increases the chance of accidents, ask the rangers in talkeetna and you will find that most accidents are preceded by dehydration. Dehydration makes us weak, fogs the mind and ruins balance, a recipe for a fall. On summit day, you need everything going for you. Without insulators, they will freeze real fast on summit day. That is just my opinion but I strongly recommend you ask the rangers in talkeetna what they do with there bottles and how much they drink. (I am pretty sure they would agree) getting excited? Coming up soon!

Nice job! Pretty improbable in the winter especially.

Not familiar with some of your gear but a few comments Are your bottom layers (fleece, event and belay pants) full side zips? (especially the belay pant) They will need to be put on without taking boots and crampons off. Definately bottle parka for both bottles. Can be home made though. Ear plugs.. best damn things ever. I am assuming that the .5 liter bottle is your hot drink bottle. good idea. Does your down parka have a hood? As of a couple years ago, the park service fixed the running belays to denali pass. hatremoves the need for lots of pickets. Not everyone on your crew has two pickets I hope. Might need a cordlette to make an snow anchor. Just decadent but I have a stuff sack with a sewn in fleece section. Hmmm pillow. I think cascade design makes one too. Worth the weight (unnoticeable) for me. Sounds like a good list you got. Enjoy the mountain and get good food in anchorage.

No one has a fat wallet except for a select few. I was just jokin with that part. Posting your gear list may be instructional and may gather some wise ass comments from some. But thoughtful comments may be helpful. As far as ridge crevasses go, I have never seen as many wierd slots forming in ALL places on the mountain. Anyone going up foraker should not dismiss crevasses at any point on the mountain. I have not been on foraker but have been on several other peaks in the kahiltna area. Ridges, faces, covex, concave, glaciers, snowfields, summits, everywhere there are crevasses.

"very fast when light" will get you in trouble on denali. 2 reasons. (call me a old fart if you want) 1-very fast gets people up too fast and they get altitude sickness. You will see it in others. The young fast "kids" get sick and worse. The old farts plod along all day and get back home. 2-light and fast is fine in the good weather. But denali can be anything but good and nice. Once again people lose hands, feet and worse even when they are prepared. Give all advice a second thought before you start dropping gear in the hopes of going faster. Theoretically one could leave behind your down jacket cause someone once did not use it. But you'd have to be a fool not to bring it. Same with ascenders. When it is ok weather, prussiks can work. But it the weather turns, good luck trying to get that cord on the rope, which could lead to a fall. Without experience on the mountain, it is best to bring all the standard gear that general consesus experience has said was required. After your trip, especially when you will have crappy weather, you can decide what was needed and not. If you have a FAT wallet, buy everything new with regard to ounces. Talk to Jim Nelson and hand over your card for the hook up. Otherwise, get loaded up, be slow and have a good time anyway. You will be out there for weeks and might as well enjoy it. Bring a camp chair and a megamid. load up the sleds and drink beer.

As you may know already, keep the screws from melting out by piling snow ontop of them and/or use v threads. If you make a anchor for a regular TR (bottom belay) I would use v threads only since you can't check them out as often. Jasons use of munter hitch is superior to a belay device on the anchor for good belay up and lower down.

judging by the view of the hills around 3 fingers, I bet vesper is all snowy. Road was easy but will be snowy now too. Typical weather for this winter "should" have a bare road next weekend.

just one clarification Jason on your step 4. Once the device is lifted back like you say, it becomes a tubular belay device and one MUST hold the climber appropriatly. It is not like a gri gri were you could "throttle" the brake affect with the lever. Just didn't want anyone to think incorrectly about this. Once again, nice job Jason.

Hey Nolse, all these comments are keeping your post up high in the list so more people (like the one who finds your tool) may see it. Without, this request may slip into obscurity just like your tool.

One mans classic is anothers choss heap. My classic N face is -coleman headwall on baker (big ice) -north side of slesse (just damn big) -north side of stuart (variety of routes) with a honorable mention -dragontail (once again lots of variety) -whitechuck east gulley (yeah yeah, but it is ne facing and therefore dark inside. classic climbing) -north side of johanesburg (sp?) Never been on it but have stared at it alot.

aztar is too short. Alp wing is a smidge longer than all the tools mentioned. So for alpine ice and waterfall ice I would vote for alp wing